Medium Level – GK Questions

Answer: Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie's 'Midnight's Children' won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was later selected as the 'Booker of Bookers' in 1993 and again as the 'Best of the Booker' in 2008, recognizing it as the best winner in the prize's history.

Answer: True

The Jnanpith Award can be conferred either for a specific outstanding literary work or for the author's overall contribution to Indian literature, providing flexibility in recognizing literary excellence.

Answer: Philippines

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is named after Ramon Magsaysay, the seventh President of the Philippines (1953-1957), who was known for his integrity, service to the people, and democratic ideals.

Answer: 1954

Both the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Awards (Vibhushan, Bhushan, Shri) were instituted in 1954, shortly after India became a republic, to recognize exceptional service to the nation.

Answer: True

The Pulitzer Prize for Music is awarded annually to an American composer for a distinguished musical composition of significant dimension that had its first performance in the United States during the year.

Answer: Lagaan

The Hindi sports drama 'Lagaan' (2001), directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002, becoming the third Indian film to receive this honor.

Answer: True

The Arjuna Award criteria evaluate consistent outstanding performance for the previous four years, along with excellence in the year of nomination, leadership qualities, discipline, and contribution to sports.

Answer: Daytime Emmy

The Daytime Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), honor excellence in American daytime television programming, including soap operas, talk shows, and children's programs.

Answer: True

The Maha Vir Chakra is indeed India's third-highest military decoration, after the Param Vir Chakra (highest) and before the Vir Chakra. It recognizes acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy.

Answer: True

The Padma Awards can be conferred upon persons of any nationality, including foreigners, NRIs, and OCIs, for their exceptional service in various fields, though most recipients are Indian citizens.

Answer: None - Anand received it before renaming

Viswanathan Anand received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1991-92, long before its 2021 renaming. As of 2024, no chess player has received the award under its new name 'Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna'.

Answer: None - first winner was in Hindi

The first Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955 was awarded to G. Sankara Kurup for his Malayalam poetry collection 'Odakkuzhal', not to a Hindi or Bengali writer. The award recognizes excellence across all 24 recognized languages.

Answer: True

The Academy Award for Best Picture is officially awarded to the film's producer(s), as they are considered primarily responsible for the film's overall production. Directors may also be producers, but the award recognizes the producing team.

Answer: greatest benefit

As per Alfred Nobel's will, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine that has conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

Answer: Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy won (not just shortlisted) the Booker Prize in 1997 for her debut novel 'The God of Small Things', which became an international bestseller and landmark work of Indian literature.

Answer: beyond

The Param Vir Chakra is awarded for most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valor or self-sacrifice beyond the call of duty in the presence of the enemy.

Answer: True

The Jnanpith Award selection involves a rigorous multi-stage process: initial screening by language experts, evaluation by a committee of scholars, and final approval by the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust's board.

Answer: P. Sainath

P. Sainath won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2007 for his compassionate and relentless reporting on rural India and issues affecting the poor, particularly farmers and marginalized communities.

Answer: True

The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was indeed originally named the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel from 1918 to 1947. It was renamed to Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948 to encompass a broader range of fictional works.

Answer: medal

The Bharat Ratna award consists of a medallion shaped like a peepal leaf and a certificate (Sanad) signed by the President. It does not include a cash prize, emphasizing its symbolic and honorific nature.